Rear loading lamp and receptacle therefor



June 13, 1961 w. CURTIS 2,988,632

REAR LOADING LAMP AND RECEPTACLE THEREFOR Filed Sept. 17, 1958 imwom ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,988,632 REAR LOADING LAMP AND RECEPTACLE THEREFOR Lorin W. Curtis, Verona, NJ., assignor to Tung-Sol Electric Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 761,500 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-8.3)

The present invention relates to electric lamps and receptacles therefor and comprises a based lamp and receptacle so constructed that the lamp may be introduced into the receptacle from the rear. The lamp and receptacle are of simple and economical construction and carry cooperating parts which insure exact orientation of the lamp filament or filaments.

In automobile tail lamps, for example, the housing includes a lens which ordinarily has to be removed when the tail light burns out. After the new tail light is inserted, the lens has to be remounted on the housing. This involves expense in manufacturing the separate lens unit and casing to insure ready disassemblage of the parts. The based lamp of the present invention is so constructed that it may be inserted from the interior of the trunk of the car into the rear of the tail light enclosure and locked in the correct filament position thus permitting the lens to be permanently attached to the housing. The based lamp of the present invention can be advantageously employed wherever rear loading of lamps is desired or necessary.

It is also important that dust and dirt be kept from entering a lamp enclosure. The present construction provides a dust-tight coupling between the base portion of the lamp and the receptacle into which the lamp is inserted.

Briefly, the new lamp of the invention comprises the usual glass bulb enclosure for the filament or filaments and a tubular base carrying a thin collar or flange having two dissimilar arcuate wing-like extensions. The receptacle comprises an opening in a wall member, such as the rear section of a housing, that is large enough to receive the bulb of the lamp. The opening is shaped to conform to the outline of the collar and the dissimilar wing portions thereof and means are provided, either on the lamp base or on the receptacle for limiting penetration of the mount into the receptacle and for providing a dust free seal between the parts. The wing portions of the collar, after the lamp is inserted into the receptacle opening and turned to bring the wing sections out of alignment with the corresponding shaped portions of the receptacle opening, lock the lamp in the receptacle, the wings having means thereon which permit only one direction of rotation to locking position and also limit the extent of rotation to insure proper orientation of the lamp filaments.

For a better understanding of the invention and of specific embodiments thereof reference may be had to the accompanying drawing of which FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a based rear loading lamp embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of a receptacle for the lamp of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view, partly in elevation, of the lamp of FIG. 1 and the receptacle of FIG. 2 showing the lamp about to be inserted into the receptacle;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the receptacle taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but representing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a rear plan view of the receptacle of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 6.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the lampis shown as comprising a conventional glass envelope 2 within which are filaments 4. The envelope is sealed in one end of a tubular base 6 on the other end of which are terminals 8 that are internally connected to the filament leads. Formed on the base 6 adjacent the envelope 2 is a flange or collar 10 having arcuate wing-like extensions 12 and 14, the extension 14 being of greater angular dimension and being provided with a boss 16 which extends away from the envelope 2 and is positioned along one extremity of the arc of the wing. To the rear of the flange 10 is a plastic or rubber collar 18 which is of an overall diameter substantially larger than the flange 10. The collar 18 has a central hub section 20 substantially of the diameter of the flange 10. An annular groove 22 is formed in the collar 18, rearwardly of the hub section 20. A split ring 24 which fits in annular groove 26 in the base 6 holds the collar 18 in place on the base. The receptacle for the assembled lamp as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 comprises a plate 28 which may be part of a panel or the rear part of a tail light housing. A generally circular opening 30 is formed in the plate 28. The diameter of the opening 30 is slightly greater than the diameter of the flange 10 including the wings 12 and 14 and less than the diameter of the collar 18. Spaced from the plate 28 and preferably formed integrally therewith are two arcuate sections 32 and 34. The dimensions of the sections 32 and 34 are such that they leave an unrestricted circular opening through the plate 28 of a diameter slightly greater than that of the envelope 2 of the lamp and of the flange 10. In addition, the spacing of the parts 32 and 34 is such that there is an arcuate opening through the receptacle, indicated at' 36 which is suflicient to receive the wing 12 of the flange 10 but not to receive the wing 14. Between the other ends of the sections 32 and 34 there is an arcuate opening indicated at 38 suflicient to receive the wing 14. Thus when the bulb 2 of the assembled lamp is introduced through the opening 30, the wings of the flange 10 can only penetrate beyond the sections 32 and 34 when the Wing 14 is aligned with the opening 38. After penetration of the openings 36 and 38 by the wings 14 and 12 respectively, the collar 18 engages the rear of the wall 28 and prevents further penetration of the lamp unit into the receptacle. To lock the lamp in position the lamp is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 2 or clockwise as viewed from the left in FIG. 3 to bring the wing 14 over the section 32 and the wing 12 over the section 34. Opposite direction of rotation to locking position is prevented by abutment of the boss 16 on the Wing 14 with the end of section 34. The boss 16 also limits the angle of rotation of the lamp, the extent of rotation being determined by engagement of the boss 16 with the end 40 of section 32. It will be understood that the lamp when manufactured will have its filaments oriented with respect to the boss 16 to insure that when the lamp is inserted in the receptacle and rotated to locked position the desired orientation will be attained. When the lamp is locked in position in the receptacle as above described, the collar 18 engages the rear of the wall 28 to serve as a gas-tight seal preventing entrance of dust or dirt into any enclosure of which the plate 28 forms the rear wall.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the sealing collar 18 is omitted and in its place is provided a ring 42 of rubber or plastic material mounted in the receptacle itself. In this embodiment of the invention the cylindrical base 6 of the lamp carries only the flange 10 with its wing sections 12 and 14, the latter carrying the boss 16 as in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4. The receptacle shown as forming part of a wall element 44 has the generally circular opening 30 therein of a diameter suflicient to receive the lamp 2 but not the flange 10. In the inner surface of the wall element 44 and surrounding the opening 30 is the rubber or plastic ring 42 which is held in position by arcuate bracket elements 46 and 48. The arcuate elements 46 and 48 expose an annular area of the ring 42 sufficient to receive the flange and also expose arcuate sections of the ring 42 of different angular extent suflicient to receive the wings 14 and 12. The ring 42 is of lesser thickness than the spacing of the annular portions of elements 46 and 48 from the wall 44, thus leaving a space between the ring 42 and the arcuate portions of elements 46 and 48 of a size for reception of the wings 12 and 14.

When the lamp is to be mounted in the receptacle the wings are brought into engagement with the exposed areas of the wing 42. The lamp is then rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 6 to bring wing 14 under section 48 and wing 12 under section 46, the extent of rotation and the direction of rotation being controlled as in the embodiment of the invention heretofore described, by the boss 16. When the lamp is locked in its oriented position the ring 42 serves to prevent introduction of dirt or dust into the enclosure of which the wall 44 may form the rear section.

The invention has now been described with respect to two embodiments thereof. In each embodiment it will be apparent that the lamp may be relatively cheaply constructed as may also the receptacle. In each embodiment precise locating of the lamp into the receptacle is possible and when locked in the receptacle dirt and dust are kept out of the lamp enclosure. Obviously various changes in the particular details of construction could be made with- 4 out departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the accompanying claim.

The following is claimed:

A rear loading based lamp and receptacle therefor comprising a lamp having a filament enclosing envelope and a cylindrical base, a flange with arcuate wing-like extensions of different dimensions fixed to said base adjacent said envelope, said base having an annular groove therein spaced from said flange, a receptacle comprising a wall having a circular opening therethrough of a diameter greater than the maximum transverse dimension" of said envelope, arcuate elements spaced from and secured to said wall adjacent said opening and removably engageable with said wing-like extensions when the envelope is introduced into said opening with the base in other than one angular position, a collar of compressible material of a diameter greater than that of said opening carried on.

said base between said flange and said groove, a split ring in said groove locking said collar to the base, said collar limiting the extent of penetration of said opening by the lamp and serving as a dust-tight seal between the lamp and wall, said arcuate elements serving as guideways for said wing-like extensions when the envelope is introduced into the opening and rotated about the longitudinal axis of the base from said one angular position, and means limiting the extent of rotation of the lamp from said one position to define a locked and oriented position of the lamp in the receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,085,200 Foard Jan. 27, 1914 1,088,863 Young et al Mar. 3, 1914 2,773,973 Hoard et a1 Dec. 11, 1956 2,853,595 Baldwin Sept. 23, 1958 2,871,342 Mappes Ian. 27, 1959 

